Ditches May Be On The Way Out

County Seeks Help On 17-92 Drainage

SANFORD - Getting nearly $13 million to turn open ditches along U.S. Highway 17-92 into a modern curb-and-gutter drainage system will be the focus of Seminole County's legislative program next year.

County commissioners told their lobbyist, Brantley and Associates, to push the project during the next session.

Redeveloping U.S. 17-92 from Maitland to Lake Monroe in Sanford has been a top priority for the county. In the past year, the county created a community redevelopment district that covers most of the roadway and has spent several hundred thousand dollars on landscaping, bus stops and other features along the road in Fern Park.

Commission Chairman Randy Morris has complained that the open ditches are part of the problem. Large sections of the urban road depend on a drainage system best suited for rural areas.

``Upgrading drainage will dramatically change the look of the road,'' he said.

County engineer Jerry McCollum identified two areas where the road could be widened to six lanes and the ditches enclosed. Water would be stored in underground vaults or diverted to retention ponds.

A 4,800-foot section from just north of County Road 427 to just south of Bill Ray Nissan would be best suited for retention ponds because land is available nearby.

The cost would be about $4.7 million.

A 6,000-foot section between Lake of the Woods Boulevard and the Orange County line would require a vault system because buying land for retention in the area would be expensive.

The vault system would cost about $8 million.

Commissioner Daryl McLain said the Florida Department of Transportation, which maintains the road, must get involved.

``We need to hammer home to our legislators that DOT has an obligation and responsibility to be a partner in solving the blight problem along 17-92,'' he said.

Other key items on the legislative agenda include continued funding for the restoration of the Little Wekiva River.

Since 1996, the county has received about $3.5 million to remove a buildup of sediment that has caused flooding.

Another $2.2 million is needed to finish the job.

The county also will ask for about $300,000 to finish a one-mile segment of the Cross Seminole Trail to take advantage of a pedestrian bridge being built over State Road 434.

A federal grant is making the overpass possible, but the trail now ends about a mile to the southeast.